This invention pertains to an exercise/therapy support system, and more particularly to such a system which is programmable and is useable with conventional exercise apparatus to guide actual, personal exercise activity through the use of a comparative motivational display.
In the recent past, there has been an enormous increase in the interest which people pay to regular personal exercise. Accompanying this growing interest has been a rapid and prolific development of personal exercise apparatus of all sorts and varieties which offer compact, convenient and versatile exercise opportunities.
Not only is there a widespread interest in performing non-therapeutic exercise employing such apparatus, but also there is a large population of people who, because of injuries, sickness, or other reasons, require therapeutic exercise to restore, or to promote restoration of, normal limb and joint movement and articulation.
The present invention, in this setting, proposes a unique exercise/therapy support system which offers comparative motivational guiding for actual personal exercise activity performed on apparatus of the type generally mentioned.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention a position and motion sensor, preferably sonar-based, is attached to the frame of conventional exercise apparatus in a position where it can monitor the position and movement of a part in the apparatus which moves in a known relationship to exercise activity performed on the apparatus. In most cases, this part takes the form of the typical weight stack which moves up and down during exercise.
The output signal from this sensor, which is interpretable to indicate user exercise activity, effects the generation of a visual display, for example by way of a conventional light bar, that indicates in real-time the actual movement which a user is engaging during exercise. The total range of movement which is displayable by this display is adjustable and selectable. For example, if, in connection with a particular exercise regime, the user is capable of some known full range of movement, the real-time display of actual performance can be selected to correspond its limits to the limits of the full range of motion capability, or, if desired, to any selected sub-portion of that full range of motion.
Provided along with this first-mentioned display is another like visual display which is programmable to present to the user a real-time presentation of a desired, selected exercise regime. Thus, what appears on this display may be programmed to show, for example, in real-time, rate and timing of motion which is desired for, say, the "weight-lifting" portion of an exercise cycle, perhaps a pause thereafter, and then the motion and time parameters selected for the "weight-lowering" portion of an exercise cycle. Rests between successive cycles can also be programmed, as well as a number of other features which will be discussed more fully below.
According to the preferred embodiment of the invention which is described herein, programming can be accomplished either through the keypad entry of exercise parameters, or through the use of a microprocessor which monitors an actual exercise cycle performed by a user, which cycle is then employed to set the parameters for the motivational guidance display.
According to one modification of the invention which is possible where a microprocessor is employed, comparative data which have been used to generate the two display signals can be accumulated and processed to produce output charting signals that may be supplied to a printer for the purpose of producing a hard-copy analysis report of an exercise session. This modified feature offers an important tool to therapists monitoring and directing an exercise therapy program.
Still another modification of the invention which is mentioned herein excludes the use of a microprocessor, and relies for programming of the motivational guidance signal on keypad or other suitable manual entry.
Other important advantages which are offered by the system will become more fully apparent as the detailed description which now follows is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.